Dogs that can be dangerous

Yes the law should be revisited. Plus the suitability of Humans should also be looked at, lifetime bans due to terminal stupidity should also be handed out to some. It's tragic, made worse by the fact it could be avoided.

I have been a dog owner for many years.  I would never leave my dog alone with a child.  Dogs can react in strange ways to the actions of humans and other dogs.  No matter how nice and friendly the dog is it can confuse some innocuous action with a threat.  Though classed as a domestic animal they are not human and on occasion will react instinctively.  I love my dog but would not trust him 100% to behave in all circumstances.  

 The two deaths this week are tragic, and almost 8000 people here in the UK needed hospital treatment for dog bites in the last twelve months. 

I have been a dog owner for many years.  I would never leave my dog alone with a child.  Dogs can react in strange ways to the actions of humans and other dogs.  No matter how nice and friendly the dog is it can confuse some innocuous action with a threat.  Though classed as a domestic animal they are not human and on occasion will react instinctively.  I love my dog but would not trust him 100% to behave in all circumstances.  

i can relate to what you say in my younger days our dog  used to get bad tempered when it was very hot luckily never any serious incidents though

It is definitely the Humans that need to be licenced somehow?  This week has been tragic especially the 3 year old - I have rescued German Shepherds and others for over 30 years now and been very aware of the dangers.  My current rescue is a GSD x Rottweiler that came from a house where 7 dogs had been abandonned.  I nearly turned her down when I was told of her mix - but she is far more reliable than my neurotic Ladrador!  Just don't break into my home or caravan to prove a point though! 

I have never left a dog alone with young children either - my observations have been that it is the "noise/sound" that a baby or young child can make that sets a dog off on alert mode.  And of course grabbing a dog's ears wouldn't help either.  I had some lodgers here some years ago and their 3 yr old daughter grabbed my GSD in the groin area and twisted - her father had told her to stop as the dog wasn't happy - and from too far away to act I saw the dog mouth open turn round - straight past the child's face and just got hold of her arm to stop her.  No mark nothing - but of course the child started yelling and father scooped her up and said "there there" - I got right in her face and said she was lucky to still have a nose!  Lodgers left very soon after as I couldn't allow a child to torment the dog!  Of course it would have been the dog's fault if push had come to shove - but that child deliberately hurt the dog!  It is too easy to accidentally hurt a dog - I got bitten by my sister's English Setter - the softest thing you ever met - but I accidentally trod on her.  Lucky for me some years ago baby sitting for a neighbour - I tripped over their rottweiler - and landed on top of him - he didn't turn a hair!  A fortunate thing for me as he weighed in at 9 stone! 

I hope the micro chipping will help with the dog problem but until people are given some "test" before they are allowed to keep almost any breed - there will continue to be tragedies. 

Everyone here has made a good common sense post. The current DDA does need revisiting. It was brought in as a knee jerk reaction after a spate of attacks and was rushed and not thought through properly. Let's hope for some sensible amendments with due emphasis being put on owner regulation.

The biggest problem the DDA will have is proving ownership of a dog to an owner , the majority of good dog owners will have their dog "chipped" and therefor tie ownership to an address ,a person who doesn't "chip" their dog would then disown it if the dog was to cause a problem bay saying "its a friends dog" and if the dog was taken away it wouldn't be a problem to that person

there is no point changing legislation if it can not be policed properly and effectively 

That's true, Husky, and applies to all aspects of the law.

That's true, Husky, and applies to all aspects of the law.

Write your comments here...Actually, its already law that ALL dogs have to be microchipped, BUT  no-one is policing it. Any dog found without a chip, should immediately be confiscated and taken to the dog pound. I am a life long dog owner, and had a total of 6 Labradors over the years, softest,friendliest dogs going, but i still wouldnt leave any of them alone with any child under 10.

Dogs bred especially for their agression, need very special owners, who can control them and treat them correctly not just anyone who thinks they would like one as a weapon or a status symbol.    

I'm not a lover of dogs but in the interest of a ballanced view I would mention the dog in Baltimore that saved a baby's life this week during a house fire by lying on top of it to protect it from the flames. Baby has serious burns to one side only, and dog is dead. It could have run out of the house.